Time Machine: Konishiki guts out tough times
This story originally appeared in the December 1986 edition of Winds — the inflight magazine of Japan Air Lines.
TOKYO — The history of the foreigner in Japanese sumo has been a bleak one. Of the dozens of gaijin who have tried their hands at Japan’s ancient sport, only two have succeeded. One is the legendary Takamiyama (Jesse Kuhaulua from Maui), who fought a record number of matches before retiring in 1984. The other is a 500-pound Samoan, known as Konishiki (Salevaa Atisanoe from Nanakuli, Oahu), who threatens to become the first foreigner ever to reach yokozuna or grand champion, sumo’s highest rank.
To succeed in the archaic, sometimes brutal world of sumo, one needs more than size and athletic skill. One must also have an ability to persevere that goes far beyond normal bounds — as Canadian John Tenta, the latest sumo import to go by the boards, will attest.
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